Buccaneers GM Jason Licht hints at defensive player's future in Tampa Bay

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot of decisions to make when it comes to the future of their football team. A few of those decisions involve the players they need to bring back in free agency — and the players they need to let go.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed safety Jordan Whitehead to a two-year deal in 2024 after he spent some time in New York with the Jets, but things didn't go as planned with the reunion. Whitehead underperformed when he was playing, and he also suffered a few injuries that kept him out of action. The most recent was a non-football injury during a car accident that saw him miss the playoffs this year.

Naturally, with Whitehead's injury and state of play, fans are wondering if he'll be back in 2024. He's often considered a cut candidate for this offseason, and general manager Jason Licht was asked about Whitehead and his role with the team next year.

Licht mentioned that Whitehead suffered a serious injury in his car accident, but gave some mixed signals on whether or not he'll be returning to the team.

"We just need to make sure that we're making, unfortunately in this business, some smart business decisions," Licht told reporters at the Combine. "But you know, we're still evaluating that. And Jordan is a great guy. Love to have him back — just need to make sure that he's healthy."

It sounds like the Bucs are thinking about making that "smart business decision" that Licht mentioned, which would involve cutting Whitehead. He's set to make $4,500,000 next year, but that's an option year — and he'd have no dead cap. It is possible that the Bucs could bring him back on a cheaper deal, but how the team drafts in April could determine whether or not that's necessary.

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